During consultation with young people an idea was put forward to have a new Frequently Asked Questions area. This section will allow local organisations to answer any questions young people may have around accessing services so that they are able to access support at the most appropriate stage. If you have any questions that you believe would be helpful to young people please send us them using the contact form below.

We are here to help you:

Hello can I help you
find what you are looking for?

Yes I am looking for information
about Sexual Health in Sunderland?

And what is it about Sexual Health
you need to know?

I would like to know where I can go
for information about C-Card?

Ok let me find the information
you are looking for...

What you are looking for?

We want to know if you could not find the information you were looking for, tell us what you were looking for so we can add it to our frequently asked questions.

Name

Email Address

What did you want to know?

5 + 11 =

Our frequently asked questions

How/where do I begin in accessing support?

Community Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) – Referrals into our service can be made by a wide range of people including doctors, teachers, school nurses, health visitors, social workers or any other worker you may have contact with and they can do this through a referral form or a letter. If you have any difficulties getting a referral made for you, you can call us on: 0191 514 1622

Children and Young People’s Service (CYPS) – If you want to access our services you can do this for yourself or a family member, doctor, teacher or any other worker you may have contact with can do this for you by calling us on: 0191 566 5500 Monday – Friday 9am-5pm.

Washington Mind Young People’s Project – Anybody can make a referral to Washington Mind Young People’s Project. You can refer yourself or get a parent to do this on your behalf. Referral are also accepted from any professional for example your doctor, teacher, social worker or anyone else who you are working with. You can text us on: 07507330995 or call: 0191 417 8043 or email: ypp@washingtonmind.org.uk and we are available Monday – Thursday 9am-5pm and Friday 9am-1:30pm. When you make contact we ask some questions about what is going on for you at the minute so make sure you are able to do this in a quiet place when you do contact us

What information do you need to share with my parents/carers?

Community Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) – Everything you tell us is confidential and some things are useful for parents/carers to know so that they can support you in the best way. However we would discuss this with you and seek your permission before we shared any information with them. We have to share information we have if we think that either you or someone else is at risk of being harmed. We would let you know when this would need to happen and we would support you in dealing with this.

Children and Young People’s Service (CYPS) – At your first appointment we will discuss consent with you and what that means, we will then sign a consent form with you which will be highlighted on your records and this can be reviewed at any time if you change your mind. We have to share information we have if we think that either you or someone else is at risk of being harmed. We would let you know when this would need to happen and we would support you in dealing with this.

Washington Mind Young People’s Project – The things that you tell us are kept in confidence unless you or someone else is at risk of being harmed. This includes somebody being a risk to themselves but also being at risk from another person. If this were the case we would work with you, and where appropriate, your family and other professionals to make sure that you are kept safe from harm. Sometimes even if you are not at risk we may ask your consent to share your information with others if this could make things easier for you. We will always inform you of whatever information we will share and we will continue to support you until things improve.

What do you need to tell other people like my doctor or my school?

Community Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) – It is often useful for other workers that you have contact to have some information about the support you are receiving so that they can also offer their support to you. However we will discuss this with you and seek your agreement to do this using a consent form and this can be reviewed at any time if you change your mind. Following your first appointment we will send a summary of what we have discussed to your doctor and the person who referred you into our service. When your involvement with the service has ended we will send a letter to your school nurse to let them know you have accessed support. If you have any questions about this then you can ask us during your appointments.

Children and Young People’s Service (CYPS) – It is often useful for other workers that you have contact to have some information about the support you are receiving so that they can also offer their support to you. However we will discuss this with you and seek your agreement to do this using a consent form and this can be reviewed at any time if you change your mind. Following your first appointment we will send a summary of what we have discussed to your doctor and the person who referred you into our service. If you have any questions about this then you can ask us during your appointments.

Washington Mind Young People’s Project – If you are at risk, as outlined above, we would need to share information with other people you may be working with. Sometimes if we feel that sharing other information would make your situation easier we would seek your consent to do this. You will always be informed of what information will be shared and who it is shared with.

When would you involve a social worker?

Services work together to provide the right support for you and your family and you will be involved with the decisions that are made so that this can happen. At times services may feel that you and your family may benefit from extra support so they may involve other workers, e.g. a social worker, this usually happens when they believe that you or someone else may be at risk of significant harm. In these situations we do have to pass information on (in line with Sunderland Safeguarding Children’s Board and South Tyneside Safeguarding Children’s Board) so that we can keep you and other people safe but we don’t always have control over the decisions that are made once we pass this information but we work in partnership with others to support you and your family and your opinions will be listened to. Your welfare is the most important factor to all services when making these decisions.

What do I do if I think other people’s problems are much worse than mine but I still need help?

How long will I have to wait for an appointment?

Waiting times are always changing depending on how many people need support at that time and also service capacity (how much the service can deal with at that time). There is an average waiting time which services try to maintain:

Children and Young People’s Service (CYPS) – All referrals will be looked at by a member of the clinical team and accepted either urgent, priority or standard. An urgent referral will be seen within 24 hrs, a priority will be seen within 3-4 weeks and a standard referral we try to see within 18 weeks.

However waiting times are not always what we want them to be and they can sometimes be longer than this so if you would like to know what the current waiting time is for a service then please contact them directly.

What is the difference between CAMHS, CYPS and Washington Mind Young People’s Project?

Community Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) – We are a team of people from different professional backgrounds who are able to support children and young people aged 0-18 years with mental health difficulties. Staff in our team have different roles and are able to offer different levels of support depending on what you need, roles include: primary mental health specialists, specialist teachers in mental health, counsellors, early years mental health specialists, cognitive behavioural therapists and family therapists. If you would like more information on what these roles offer then please visit our website.

Children and Young People’s Service (CYPS) – We provide a service to all children and young people aged 0-18 years living in South Tyneside and Sunderland with mental health difficulties and disorders, including people who may have learning difficulties/ disabilities and those living in a range of difficult and challenging circumstances. The team is made up of nurses, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers and a range of therapists. Services we provide to support young people include: assessment, diagnosis and intervention on a range of mental health issues, home-based treatment, Eating Disorder Service and 24 hour access to support over the phone. For more information on these service please visit our website.

Washington Mind Young People’s Project – We are a service for young people aged between 11 and 25 years of age who live in the City of Sunderland, this includes Washington, Hetton-le-Hole, Houghton-le-Spring. We are a small team of counsellors offering counselling and creative expressive group work, we provide this in various locations across the City including schools, Connexions and PopRecs. We have developed a range of wellbeing tools in partnership with young people including Reasons2 an app to help you improve your own mental wellbeing and Strange Things? A zine to amplify the voices of young people. For more information on our services please visit our website.